Specter and Meltdown: All information [updated]
from David Haydl 
on January 08, 2018, 7:53 | 🔥 popular | Write a comment
[last updated: 11.01.2018/20/19, XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.] You can now hear it everywhere: Specter and Meltdown are threatening them Proprocessors in our electronic devices. But what are Specter and Meltdown anyway? And how can I avoid being affected? All information.
Jump to section
updates:
Update from 11.01.2018/20/19 at XNUMX:XNUMX PM
It is now largely known which smartphones are provided with updates against Specter and Meltdown. If you have a device that was introduced in 2014 or earlier, you will most likely look into the tube, as the manufacturers will hardly care about one of these devices anymore.
At Huawei, the Mate 8 from 2015 is probably the oldest device that still gets an update. Unfortunately, users of a Huawei P8 will not receive a security patch against Specter and Meltdown, but this is still unclear for users of the P8 Lites. All devices that the company has presented since 2016, such as the Mate 9, the P9 (Lite) and the devices of the Mate 10 series, all get an update against the two security holes.
LG also wants to provide updates to all devices that have appeared since 2016. It even includes the Lg V10 from 2015. Apple is particularly exemplary here, the company from Cupertino wants to provide all iPhones that have appeared from the iPhone 5 with a security update. However, one device from Apple does not belong to this list, namely the iPhone 5c. This was presented in parallel with the iPhone 5S.
Samsung wants to provide the S series with updates starting with the Galaxy S6. The Note 5, Note Edge, Note 8 and Galaxy Tab S3 from last year are added to these devices. In addition, all devices in the J series and A series are updated. Users of a Moto G4 (Plus), Moto G5 (Plus), Moto X4, Moto Z, Moto Z2 and Moto X from 2015 can also look forward to an update.
Finally we have HTC and Honor. HTC has security patches for the M8, M9, 10 and the U11 series devices verprochen. At Honor you get one if you own an Honor 8 or Honor 9.
Update from 08.01.2018/17/59 at XNUMX:XNUMX PM
It looks like all Apple devices except for the Apple Watch are affected by Specter and Meltdown. However, there are still no exploits for these devices, i.e. viruses or malware that could damage the devices via the two holes. In addition, it is said to be more difficult to launch an attack with Specter than it is with Meltdown, against which Apple has already released security patches.
Original article:
General
Specter and Meltdown are not viruses, they describe two security holes. They affect everyone Proprocessors in our electronic devices that have been manufactured in recent years. About chopped Program, thanks to these two vulnerabilities, attackers can use sensitive data on the Processor, such as passwords, without large Proread problems. These are stored there so that they are available more quickly when needed. With Meltdown, this data can only be intercepted locally on the PC, unless malicious software is foisted on it. With Spectre, the attack is also possible via the Internet. It can do this using your browser's JavaScript.
Affected Devices
In principle, all devices are affected by these two security vulnerabilities Prohave installed a processor that was manufactured from 2011 onwards. Meltdown only affects devices with an Intel chip, Specter also affects devices with an Intel chip, devices with AMD chips and devices in which an ARM – Proprocessor was installed, i.e. smartphones, smartwatches and tablets. The operating system is irrelevant. So pretty much all devices that users use nowadays are covered. Incidentally, cloud servers and game consoles are also affected by this vulnerability.
Protection options
The best way to protect yourself right now is to always install the security updates for your device from now on, if any are available. They can build a larger wall around the core, which makes the meltdown attack more difficult. Unfortunately, these updates are currently still associated with performance drops. Unfortunately, the Specter attack has not yet been fought that easily. You don't have to worry about your data on the most popular cloud servers: Microsoft, Google and Amazon have already provided their servers with the necessary updates.
iOS, macOS and tvOS
According to Apple, the possibility of the meltdown attack with iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2 and tvOS 11.2 has already been prevented. According to the company, there should not have been any drops in performance. Apple also said that their watch was not affected by either of these two security holes. An update to prevent the Specter attack is already in progress.
Android
Android should also be safe against Meltdown. In addition, the January security patch, which is already available for Pixel and Nexus devices, mitigates the Specter attack. Other manufacturers have to provide this patch for their devices themselves. Alternatively, you can use the Chromebrowser to make access for Specter even more difficult. To do this, you have to go to the address bar chrome :/ / flags enter and under the point Site (can be found via the search bar) the option Strict site isolation activate. However, it cannot be ruled out that all Internet pages will continue to be displayed properly afterwards. Once you've done that, all you have to do is restart Chrome.
Screenshot: © TechnikNews, 2018
Windows (and Linux)
Microsoft released a security patch for Meltdown on January 4th. This is called KB4056892. Developers of the individual Linux distributions are already working on security updates for Specter and Meltdown. To date, it is still unclear whether Microsoft has already started work on an update against Specter. Under Windows there is also a possibility to make access more difficult for Specter. To do this, it is necessary to update the browser you are using, because Specter can, as mentioned earlier, also get data from the browser's JavaScript code. With Chrome you have to upgrade to version 63 or version 64, with Firefox it is version 57. Incidentally, this update has been available for Safari for a long time.
The article is continuously updated.
